Dallas tests Arizona's home-field advantage
By Bob Baum
The Associated Press
GLENDALE, Ariz. - This could be one of the biggest shootouts in Arizona since Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp caused all that ruckus at the OK Corral.
The Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals bring two of the best offenses in the NFL to today's showdown in Glendale.
"It's the closest to a playoff atmosphere that we're going to get until we get to the playoffs," Arizona cornerback Eric Green said.
Not surprisingly, Dallas (4-1) brings drama, too.
First, there's the emotional Terrell Owens, who read a statement in last week's post-game news conference then left without taking questions after catching a 57-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo in a 31-22 victory over the winless Cincinnati Bengals.
Then there's Adam "Pacman" Jones, who will play despite getting into a scuffle with his bodyguard at a Dallas hotel Tuesday. Jones came to Dallas after serving a 17-month league suspension for a series of arrests and legal problems.
"This is not that big of a deal," said Dallas nose tackle Tank Johnson, no stranger to off-field trouble himself. "Nobody's in jail, nobody's in trouble, nobody's hurt. We're all here ready to practice, ready to work."
In contrast, the Cardinals are downright boring, until they get their offense in high gear.
"We feel we can do well against anybody we play," Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "The focus is on us - make sure we don't make any turnovers or stuff. That's the key."
The Cardinals (3-2) have yet to commit a turnover at home, with their opponents having nine of them. Arizona, trying for its first playoff appearance since 1998, are alone atop the NFC West. The Cardinals know it's never an ordinary game when the Cowboys come to town.
"We're excited about this football game because this is a good team," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "There's a lot of attention that comes to the Dallas Cowboys. If we can play well, it's a good challenge for our team."
Dating to last year, Arizona (3-2) has won five straight at home and eight of its last 10. In their two home games this season, the Cardinals have outscored their opponents (Miami and Buffalo) by a combined 72-27.
Kurt Warner, who bounced back from an awful outing against the New York Jets to pick apart Buffalo with short passes, will take on a banged-up Dallas secondary. Safety Roy Williams was limited in practice last week with a forearm injury, and cornerback Terence Newman could miss his second game in a row with a groin injury.
"We have some young players playing, and I'm including Pacman in that," Dallas coach Wade Phillips said. "We've got two rookies and a guy we haven't had before that's 23 years old. So it's a concern overall for us."
Recent history points to a high-scoring affair.
Both teams also rank in the top five in the NFL in total offense (Dallas third, Arizona fifth), passing per game (Arizona third, Dallas fourth), first downs per game (Arizona second, Dallas fourth) and points per game (Dallas second, Arizona fifth). The Cowboys and Cardinals are 1-2 in third-down efficiency.
But Romo said that a shootout is far from guaranteed.
"We have had a couple games now that have been more low-scoring," Romo said. "I try not to get into that stuff. Each game has it's own moments."
The Cardinals also have several players who might not go, including safety Adrian Wilson, who was a game-time decision last week and then knocked Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards out with a concussion on the third play of the game.
Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin probably will remain sidelined after surgery to repair a sinus fracture. In Boldin's absence, Warner threw to nine different receivers in last week's 41-17 victory over the Bills.
There should be a serious battle in the trenches, where Pro Bowlers Darnell Dockett of Arizona and Leonard Davis of Dallas duke it out.
Davis left the Cardinals as a free agent following the 2006 season, then signed with Dallas. The 6-foot-6, 353-pound native Texan was moved from tackle to guard and had a Pro Bowl season last year with the Cowboys.
"I think he's the best guard in the league," Phillips said. "He's a dominant player, and whoever you play him against always has a tough game."
The Cowboys used to come to Arizona every season before the Cardinals left the NFC East in 2002. From 1990 to 1996 Dallas beat the woeful Cardinals 13 straight times. Overall, Dallas is 23-9 against the Cardinals since their move to Arizona.
Those games were played in Sun Devil Stadium, often with more Dallas than Arizona fans cheering them on. There will be plenty of Cowboys fans Sunday, too, but the game is in the comfort of 3-year-old University of Phoenix Stadium.
Phillips returns as the low-key maestro of what is always a high-profile Cowboy production not easily kept in tune.
"You've got to have two batons I think with this team," he joked. "But it's a fun group. Those guys work hard and that's the thing I like about 'em. They have fun off the field sometimes with the press and those kinds of things, but they're really hard workers."
Staying in the thick of things in the tough NFC is hard work for sure.
"If you don't watch out," Romo said, "you could find yourself three games back in a hurry."
The Associated Press
GLENDALE, Ariz. - This could be one of the biggest shootouts in Arizona since Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp caused all that ruckus at the OK Corral.
The Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals bring two of the best offenses in the NFL to today's showdown in Glendale.
"It's the closest to a playoff atmosphere that we're going to get until we get to the playoffs," Arizona cornerback Eric Green said.
Not surprisingly, Dallas (4-1) brings drama, too.
First, there's the emotional Terrell Owens, who read a statement in last week's post-game news conference then left without taking questions after catching a 57-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo in a 31-22 victory over the winless Cincinnati Bengals.
Then there's Adam "Pacman" Jones, who will play despite getting into a scuffle with his bodyguard at a Dallas hotel Tuesday. Jones came to Dallas after serving a 17-month league suspension for a series of arrests and legal problems.
"This is not that big of a deal," said Dallas nose tackle Tank Johnson, no stranger to off-field trouble himself. "Nobody's in jail, nobody's in trouble, nobody's hurt. We're all here ready to practice, ready to work."
In contrast, the Cardinals are downright boring, until they get their offense in high gear.
"We feel we can do well against anybody we play," Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "The focus is on us - make sure we don't make any turnovers or stuff. That's the key."
The Cardinals (3-2) have yet to commit a turnover at home, with their opponents having nine of them. Arizona, trying for its first playoff appearance since 1998, are alone atop the NFC West. The Cardinals know it's never an ordinary game when the Cowboys come to town.
"We're excited about this football game because this is a good team," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "There's a lot of attention that comes to the Dallas Cowboys. If we can play well, it's a good challenge for our team."
Dating to last year, Arizona (3-2) has won five straight at home and eight of its last 10. In their two home games this season, the Cardinals have outscored their opponents (Miami and Buffalo) by a combined 72-27.
Kurt Warner, who bounced back from an awful outing against the New York Jets to pick apart Buffalo with short passes, will take on a banged-up Dallas secondary. Safety Roy Williams was limited in practice last week with a forearm injury, and cornerback Terence Newman could miss his second game in a row with a groin injury.
"We have some young players playing, and I'm including Pacman in that," Dallas coach Wade Phillips said. "We've got two rookies and a guy we haven't had before that's 23 years old. So it's a concern overall for us."
Recent history points to a high-scoring affair.
Both teams also rank in the top five in the NFL in total offense (Dallas third, Arizona fifth), passing per game (Arizona third, Dallas fourth), first downs per game (Arizona second, Dallas fourth) and points per game (Dallas second, Arizona fifth). The Cowboys and Cardinals are 1-2 in third-down efficiency.
But Romo said that a shootout is far from guaranteed.
"We have had a couple games now that have been more low-scoring," Romo said. "I try not to get into that stuff. Each game has it's own moments."
The Cardinals also have several players who might not go, including safety Adrian Wilson, who was a game-time decision last week and then knocked Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards out with a concussion on the third play of the game.
Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin probably will remain sidelined after surgery to repair a sinus fracture. In Boldin's absence, Warner threw to nine different receivers in last week's 41-17 victory over the Bills.
There should be a serious battle in the trenches, where Pro Bowlers Darnell Dockett of Arizona and Leonard Davis of Dallas duke it out.
Davis left the Cardinals as a free agent following the 2006 season, then signed with Dallas. The 6-foot-6, 353-pound native Texan was moved from tackle to guard and had a Pro Bowl season last year with the Cowboys.
"I think he's the best guard in the league," Phillips said. "He's a dominant player, and whoever you play him against always has a tough game."
The Cowboys used to come to Arizona every season before the Cardinals left the NFC East in 2002. From 1990 to 1996 Dallas beat the woeful Cardinals 13 straight times. Overall, Dallas is 23-9 against the Cardinals since their move to Arizona.
Those games were played in Sun Devil Stadium, often with more Dallas than Arizona fans cheering them on. There will be plenty of Cowboys fans Sunday, too, but the game is in the comfort of 3-year-old University of Phoenix Stadium.
Phillips returns as the low-key maestro of what is always a high-profile Cowboy production not easily kept in tune.
"You've got to have two batons I think with this team," he joked. "But it's a fun group. Those guys work hard and that's the thing I like about 'em. They have fun off the field sometimes with the press and those kinds of things, but they're really hard workers."
Staying in the thick of things in the tough NFC is hard work for sure.
"If you don't watch out," Romo said, "you could find yourself three games back in a hurry."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:12 AM
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